(This tag covers bands/artists from Huddersfield)

Huddersfield (About this sound pronunciation - hudders-feeld) is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, 190 miles (310 km) north of London, and 10.3 miles (16.6 km) south of Bradford, the nearest city.

Huddersfield is near the confluence of the River Colne and the River Holme. Located within the historic county boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire, according to the 2001 Census it was the 10th largest town in the UK and with a total resident population of 146,234. It is the largest urban area in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees and the administrative centre of the borough. The town is well known for its important role in the Industrial Revolution, the birthplace of rugby league and for being the birthplace of the late British Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

Huddersfield today is a town of higher education, the media and sports, being home to the Football League One football team Huddersfield Town F.C., founded in 1908, and the rugby league team, currently titled Huddersfield Giants, founded in 1895. The town is home to the University of Huddersfield and sixth form Greenhead College.

Huddersfield is a town of Victorian architecture. Huddersfield railway station is a Grade I listed building and was described by Sir John Betjeman as 'the most splendid station facade in England' second only to St Pancras, London. The station stands in St George's Square, and has been given a £1 million make over and subsequently won the Europa Nostra award for European architecture.

Music

Huddersfield Choral Society, founded in 1836, claims to be the UK's leading choral society. Its history was chronicled in the book 'And The Glory', written to commemorate the Society's 150th anniversary in 1986 — its title derived from a line in the Hallelujah Chorus featuring in Handel's landmark choral arrangement The Messiah. The author was a choir member for over 35 years.

More recently, the town's other main claim to international musical renown is the annual Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. It is also home to the Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra and the Huddersfield Singers.

On Christmas Day 1977, Sex Pistols played their last two British shows, one of which was a matinee for the children of striking firefighters, at the then 'Ivanhoe's' nightclub venue, before embarking on the ill-fated US tour which saw them collapse into acrimony. In the early-mid 1990s, Flex, the seminal underground Jungle/Drum 'n' Bass record label, was founded in Huddersfield by the musician and future BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ, L Double. In 2000 another independent record label Chocolate Fireguard was founded in Huddersfield by singer Pat Fulgoni who also developed the three stage Community music event Timeless Festival held in the town's Ravensknowle Park, featuring a range of electronica, hip hop and rock music.

There are a number of other annual local music festivals held within the town and surrounding area, examples being the Marsden Jazz Festival, Mrs. Sunderland, Janet Beaumont, the Holmfirth Festivals, and the Haydn Wood (Linthwaite). The Haydn Wood and Mrs. Sunderland events focus on musical and oratorial performance by the town's younger generations. Also, in recent years, free music concerts have been put on for the town, including bands such as The Ordinary Boys, The Script and Elliott Minor. There are however many other local choirs, both youth and adult, a noted example of the latter being the Honley Male voice choir.

Home-grown musical talent of all kinds is complemented by the student intake to the University of Huddersfield's music department.

Further fame was added to the musical history of Huddersfield by the inclusion of the song "Sheriff of Huddersfield" by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden on the B-side to their 1986 single Wasted Years. Written about their co-manager Rod Smallwood, leaving his home town of Huddersfield and struggling to settle into life in Los Angeles.

Huddersfield is home to thrash metal band Evile. Dance rock outfit Kava Kava and the birthplace of the synthpop musician Billy Currie (of Ultravox and Visage fame) and the hard rock bassist John McCoy who played with Neo and Gillan.